INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[kwhites634]

Sorry but that cant be right. I had pekin ducks 3 of them. Giant ones. I gave them 1 gallon of feed a day and they never eat it all in one day.

She was joshing! That's her trademark, when not swimming in coffee or taking cold showers

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How do y'all mark your chicks to keep them separate? I've got a pair of svart honas, then 7 chicks from a different breeder. And I'm planning a hatch. I need to make sure the babies don't get mixed up.

I tried the rainbow loom bands last year, but they fell off in the brooder. That was a mess.

I put the eggs in mesh bags with the drawstrings double knotted and tied with rubberbands because the little houdinis can get out of almost anything.
Then as they come out of the incubator they get colored zip ties. If you put them on just tight enough that they can't be pulled off there is some room for growth. Make sure you check them weekly so they don't get too tight. I set a phone alarm for it so I don't forget. After a month or two they don't have to be changed as often.
When they're about half grown, they're big enough for a #7 leg band. Then I switch to numbered bandettes, color coded for year of hatch.
If I have a big variety of eggs (from different breeders and darkness) I'll number the eggs. Then I know what weight egg the chick came from, how dark the egg was and at least one of the parents if not both.
A lot of people use wing bands but you have to pick the bird up to read the number.
Bandettes come off occasionally but I can read them at a distance even with my old eyes.

if you dont know, I sure as heck dont know!

that doesnt surprise me, I have looked at many vids on youtube
LEG BANDS ideas for ID chicks: post #5609
Chickencanoes chick/chicken Identification practices post #25833

I know there are birds in much closer confinement but those are for meat and eating eggs, not breeding.
You don't know who bred who or who lays what eggs. Not to mention, it doesn't look healthy.

You shouldn't sign while you drive...you need your hands on the wheel...

@ChickenCanoe , do you happen to know how much a duck eatseach day? Is it 5-10% of it's body weight?

-Kathy

I do not but I knew that Metzer did.
http://www.metzerfarms.com/DailyFeedWaterDucklings.cfm?CustID=9719856

Ten pounds of feed per pound of duck!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Some of my cuties from my last hatch, Jan 29th. I have 7 more eggs due to hatch tomorrow

 

[daxigait]

Ten pounds of feed per pound of duck!

that's crazy, and I thought pigs were expensive

 

[kwhites634]

Can,anyone tell me if duck eggs will fit in the turner of the little giant or no.and should I buy the qual egg turner for bantam eggs and Silkie eggs.right now I'm using the big chicken egg turner.

Never set duck eggs, but I'm thinking not. May be wrong.
Wouldn't think bantams or silkies would fit into quail cups, either; they're pretty small. Again, I may be wrong; happened once before.

 

[Jessimom]

Some of my cuties from my last hatch, Jan 29th. I have 7 more eggs due to hatch tomorrow

These are ADORABLE!!!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Never set duck eggs, but I'm thinking not. May be wrong.
Wouldn't think bantams or silkies would fit into quail cups, either; they're pretty small. Again, I may be wrong; happened once before.

I've never tried duck or goose eggs in a turner. There are rails for goose eggs. The only geese I've incubated were Canadians extracted from nests that were about to hatch.
They then went to Geese Peace to be raised.
Turkey eggs should fit in chicken rails.
I'm with you. I'm sure that bantam eggs would be too big for quail rails.

 

[BullChick]

@chicken hawk 33 yes, duck eggs fit into the chicken egg turners. Sometimes you have to skip a spot, but they do fit.

 

[Jessimom]

You shouldn't sign while you drive...you need your hands on the wheel...

My daughter can hear, but she still uses sign language. So, when she is in the car with me, I do sign while I drive, but still try to keep my hands on the wheel. It does take some creativity!

 

[Chaos18]

IMO, I'd just put them together when you're down to one rooster. There won't be as much hen squabbling with a rooster present.

Even if the rooster is younger than the hens?

Not sure exactly the question. All mine are separated unless there in the breeding pen. Roosters have there own section, hens, chicks and juvenile. When I get a new chicken they go right in the designed section. I have like 9 roosters in a section and 20 something hens in there section. I let them do there thing. Usually doesnt last long. They learn there place pretty quick.

The question is this. I have a laying flock with a rooster and a group of youngsters with a rooster. The rooster in the laying flock is a peckerhead and will be losing his head. I want to put the youngsters (bout 3.5 months old) in with the laying hens that will be losing there rooster. When Kevin gets wacked is that a good time to throw everybody together? I don't care about the breeding aspect of it all. I want one happy group after the peckerhead loses.

I've put new pullets right out of the crate in with established hens when I had no option. Just turned the crate on its side & let them walk out as they wanted. Took them a bit to sort things out, like less than an hour, but by roosting time that evening everything was fine. They were in a 12x20 run and a walk-in coop big enough for 3-4 times the number I had, & they were all RSL, if that made any difference.

The established flock is SLW and BA (3 of each) and the new ones will be CCL (3 hens and a roo). Should I just throw them all in the coop and let them sort it out or would leaving them in the run be a better option?

STOP

Say please.